Tuesday Day 8

I had chosen to take our Subaru to Costa Rica with us and have it nationalized rather than selling it in the States and taking a chance on buying a used car in Costa Rica. Our car is a 2005 Outback with over 200,000 miles but it has All-Wheel-Drive and has been dependable and well maintained its whole life. I figured if it has mechanical issues in its future at least I’m familiar with its past and stand a better chance keeping it running than a car I find in Costa Rica.

I was forewarned that the market for used vehicles had been swamped with cars that survived recent hurricanes and floods in the States and that’s one concern I don’t want to have.

All trucks and cars brought into to Costa Rica are levied an import tax of 50-60% of the assigned value of the vehicle. The assigned or taxable value is determined by Costa Rican Customs Direccion General de Aduanas and bears no relation to the Kelly Blue Book or any other valuation you might expect—even an invoice. 

New imports and nationalized foreign cars both bear this import tax so it becomes a matter of what the pocket-book can afford.

Our shipping agent, Shipping Costa Rica, promised to handle the entire transaction for us—soup-to-nuts. They picked up the Subaru at our home in Jacksonville a day or two after we left for Costa Rica and are to deliver it to us complete with title, safety inspection, insurance, and import taxes paid.

The today the Subaru is in Miami awaiting shipment to Puerto Limon—to arrive on February 6^th. I was told it could be ten days before the car is nationalized and ready to drive. I am expecting it will be closer to March before we have the car. This entire transaction will cost close to ten-thousand dollars.

It remains to be seen if this was a wise decision or a blunder.